Now the real tough questions begin for Tony Stewart and his racing future.

Will they come from sponsors who pay the bills? Such questions probably won’t come from crew members, as Stewart is the Stewart in Stewart-Haas Racing.

Mainly, should he continue to follow his passion and race sprint cars? This would be after he recovers from Monday’s accident in Iowa that resulted in a broken tibia and fibula in his right leg, two surgeries and another one in the future. It was his third accident outside the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in a month.

The accident impacted his quest to make the NASCAR Chase. He will miss at least six races, effectively ending his run at a fourth Cup championship.

But who’s going to tell him to stop racing at the dirt tracks he loves?

“He’s run so many of these races and flipped in those things, I think me and him and everybody around us didn’t think Superman could get hurt,” said Greg Zipadelli, Stewart’s longtime crew chief and the current competition director at SHR, in a press conference Wednesday. “We all know Tony loves to do those races. We know that that’s his golf game, that’s his hunting, his fishing, all the things that the rest of us do.

“There is a difference in the amount of responsibility we have and obligations to other people, and that’s where I think that’s kind of where it gets sticky. I think it makes him better at what he does here, but it obviously leaves the door open for a situation that we’re in now.”

That means Max Papis will drive the No. 14 Chevy this weekend at Watkins Glen. Still to be determined is the complete lineup until Stewart returns. Regan Smith and Kyle Larson are among the names being mentioned.

NHRA tethers, Part II

Because of the consequences stemming from Johnny Gray’s Funny Car incident at Sonoma on July 28, NHRA made the controversial tether rule, designed to keep chassis bodies from flying into the stands, optional last weekend in Seattle.

The Glendora-based sanctioning body will begin work on developing a new system, perhaps in time for the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend. The NHRA said the tethering device worked as intended, but the explosion lifted the firewall into a position to cut off Gray’s vision and made a fast exit improbable.

But there was one very strong supporter of the rule, Kalitta Motorsports vice president Jim Oberhofer. The team fields Funny Cars for Del Worsham and Alexis DeJoria, who made the decision to keep tethers in place.

“When I hear drivers say they don’t worry about the fans, I have a big problem with that,” Oberhofer told CompetitionPlus.com. “There were lots of times my wife and daughter sat in those grandstands. If we don’t care about the fans, that’s a problem.

“I think there are too many emotional decisions going on right now. People aren’t really thinking when there’s a bigger issue out there. Why did the car blow up? Why didn’t the safety system work? Why did (Bob) Tasca blow up, make a full run and didn’t have those same problems? We need to take a look at that stuff before we start throwing people under the bus.

“I worry about our fans. I don’t want to get someone hurt.”

Remembering a friend

When the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competed June 9 at Pocono Raceway, Kasey Kahne and Jason Leffler traveled home to North Carolina together after the race.

Three days later Leffler, a Long Beach native, was killed in a sprint car accident in New Jersey.

“Just me and him,” Kahne said in celebrating his second Cup win of the season. “We spent a bunch of time together and then that happened that Wednesday. it was tough. There are so many people that are good friends with Jason and knew him really well. I just wanted to mention something about him.”

Items in the spotlight

NHRA Funny Car champion Jack Beckman will be honored by Norco and the Norco Area Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, which has been proclaimed “Fast Jack Beckman Day.” He’ll get a key to the city at 11:30 a.m. at Browning Dodge (1983 Hamner Ave.). … Irwindale Speedway will conclude its comeback NASCAR stock car racing season with the renewal of the Fall Classic weekend Nov. 29-30, which is expected to draw entries from throughout the West. … Pole Position Raceway in Corona, in celebration of August’s Motor Sports Awareness Month, will offer one free race to motorists who were issued, and paid, a speeding ticket between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Racing around SoCal

The fourth and final round of qualifying for the speedway championship at Costa Mesa Speedway is set for Friday night at Pirate Speedway on the National Orange Show grounds in San Bernardino. Billy Janniro of Rancho Cordova and San Bernardino’s Charlie Venegas lead the field thus far, with a dozen racers dependent on Friday’s performance. … Perris Auto Speedway is dark on Saturday but will return Aug. 17 for the “California Racer’s Hall of Fame Night,” featuring USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, PAS Senior Sprints, PAS Young Gun Sprint Cars and the California Lightning Sprints. … Saturday’s card at MacroAir Orange Show Speedway has been cancelled by Dirt Entertain “to re-organize the marketing and infrastructure of the business and secure the long-term financial well-being of both of our racetracks and our organization.” … Ventura Raceway is also off on Saturday, returning Aug. 24 for Food Share Night with VRA Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Hobby Stocks, Sport Compacts, Mod Lites and go-karts.

Lou Brewster is a nationally recognized motorsports journalist who has staffed NASCAR and NHRA events since 1969. Has also staffed high school football, in five different states, since 1967. Has won several national awards in writing and breaking news.

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